Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Cylus 15, Arc 720

"Until tomorrow, Professor", Plia Yisnhai Velanar, a young woman of mixed Eidisi and Ellune descent and one of Doran’s research assistants said, took her things and walked out of the door of the laboratory where they had been working for the previous three breaks. Doran had made a fair amount of progress regarding his new potion – a potion that gave the drinker a Lotharro’s increased adrenaline and endurance which had practical applications in medicine (such as the treatment of anaphylactic reactions and heart conditions).

After a number of early setbacks, mainly involving determining the correct dose, the potion worked quite well. The cycle before, the Mortalborn had moved on to actual clinical trials, starting with a small group of humanoid volunteers who had been treated with subtherapeutic doses in order to assess the safety of the potion. Now, he was finally treating actual patients with it. There were no side effects anymore, apart from those that should be expected from an increased amount of adrenaline.

Before long, the potion would be ready.

He was, of course, quite pleased with the progress that he had made. In fact, he was extraordinarily pleased with how well things were going. When he had met with Ocraloch the cycle before in order to discuss his research and his thesis, the man had voiced doubts that it would be possible to put a Lotharro’s endurance or an Ellune’s resistance to cold into a potion. He had proven that it could be done though. His inventions would revolutionize the science of alchemy and expand it forever, after it had been the same nearly since its creation.

There was just so much paperwork. Doran had never minded such before, he was a fairly disciplined and patient individual; there were so many forms, so many contracts (a side effect of working with volunteers), and so many notes that needed to be put in the correct order though. While Plia would be going home, he would spend the next break or two just organizing his things and taking notes about what he had done that trial. He had never been interested in such things before, but by the Fates, sometimes he wished that he had one of Llyr’s bug berry-laced cigarettes. A bit of euphoria was just what he needed right now.

Since there were neither bug berries nor any other substances that had a relaxing or euphoria-inducing effect in the laboratory, of course, he made do with the means that were available to him at the moment. He sat down at the desk at the back of the laboratory, closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back in order to take a few deep breaths and relax, to clear his mind to some extent and make the budding headache go away before he grasped his quill, dipped it into the inkwell that stood on the desk, got a piece of paper and started to write.

By the time that the Mortalborn arrived at the Obsidian Prism where he lived, after he had packed up his vials and his research notes and locked the laboratory, it was already past the seventeenth break, and he could not help but be a little tired. The smell that greeted him upon entering his apartment instantly made him feel better again though.

His latest awakening, a consequence of his progressing in his chosen magic, made him crave complex foods and interesting tastes as well as textures. Once upon a time, he had just eaten a bit of bread and some stew after work, for example. He was no longer content with such simple meals though. Nowadays, he frequently sent Elias, his servant, to the market, in order to check if they had gotten anything new, a food that he had not tried out before.

Once he had taken his coat, a fine dark wool coat that was trimmed with silver fur off and deposited his research materials in his study, he made his way into the kitchen that was just as luxurious as the rest of the apartment as he couldn’t help but wonder what the human had come up with this time. He thought that he could smell a hint of lemon and rosemary.

Elias, a dark-haired human male of approximately forty arcs of age who had worked for him since he had been Vuda’s alchemist in Etzos stood in front of the stove, stirring something in a large cast-iron pot and occasionally glancing at the pan that was next to it.

When he noticed that the Mortalborn had arrived, he turned around for a moment though and greeted him in a polite tone of voice, “Welcome home, sir. Dinner is almost ready. I made chicken to-trial, with a special kind of sauce that I hope that you will enjoy and a side of rice – as well as chocolate mousse for dessert, if you are interested. Would you like some coffee while you wait, by the way?” he continued and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Coffee was another thing that the Mortalborn had a weakness for, preferably with cream and sugar, as well as chocolate or vanilla, or sometimes a hint of cinnamon, to satisfy the spark’s cravings as well as his own. When he heard Elias’ question he thus nodded and thanked him. A few bits later, he sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, his hands that had crimson markings on them (another awakening that came with a most interesting side effect) wrapped around a cup, blowing at it in order to cool its contents down before he took a few slow sips and sighed with pleasure – and, perhaps, slightly wistfully.

Sitting in the kitchen, in the morning before he went to work or in the evening when he returned from work, and drinking coffee often made him think of Llyr, how they had sat here, drinking coffee, after the etherist had spent the night in the Obsidian Prism for the first time. As always, he couldn’t help but miss him and wonder where he was and what he was doing, but this time, these thoughts didn’t last long at least as Elias announced that his meal was ready to be served before long.

He told Elias that he would eat in the salon, at the small table that was in front of the fireplace rather than in the dining room. He usually reserved the latter for when he had guests.

Elias had not lied or exaggerated (not that he had expected that to happen, the human was quite an honest individual). The meal that he had come up with this time was quite enjoyable, roasted chicken with a sauce that contained rosemary and lemon, some garlic, and cream as well as a hint of white wine and chili peppers, among other things. The chicken was juicy instead of overdone, and the rice was firm, but it was not too firm.

He let out a content sigh as he finished the last bite and turned to the chocolate mousse, and when Elias returned a while later in order to give him something to drink, he smiled him and thanked him before he told him that he could sit with him and get something to drink as well if he wanted to which the human accepted after a moment of hesitation, but quite gladly.

Elias was … the human was not a friend, but he was a trustworthy companion, a good servant and quite discreet.

Before long, evening had arrived, and he asked Olivia, another servant of his, to draw a bath for him as that would help him relax before he finally retreated into his study, dressed in more casual clothes, his hair still slightly damp, and sat down in a comfortable red arm chair in front of one of the large windows, a glass with some brandy that he occasionally took a sip from on the low table next to it and a book in his lap. He had decided to leave his research be for the remainder of the trial; he quite enjoyed reading about different subjects nevertheless, though, a book on astronomy and the stars this time, a recent interest, a small hobby of his.

The following trial he would, most likely, be back in the classroom and the laboratory – his goal was to finish the entire project – including the Ellune potion as well as his thesis - before the end of the Hot Cycle, but for now he would take a couple of breaks off in order to unwind and engage in a few activities that didn’t have anything to do with his work.